Senate confirms Amupitan as INEC chairman after 3-hour screening
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amupitan’s confirmation came after a rigorous three-hour screening session in the Senate chamber on Thursday, during which lawmakers questioned him extensively on electoral reforms, neutrality, and institutional integrity.
Following the Committee of the Whole, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the confirmation to a voice vote. The “ayes” carried the day, with no objections recorded.
Akpabio declared that Amupitan’s appointment had been unanimously approved, urging him to “carry on his job where votes will count.”
During the session, Amupitan clarified that he had never served as legal counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Tribunal or at the Supreme Court.
Responding to concerns about his impartiality, the nominee explained that “the law reports of those copies for the cases are available for everyone to review if they were part of President Bola Tinubu’s legal team.”
He assured the Senate that, if confirmed, his leadership would guarantee elections credible enough that “losers will congratulate winners” in the spirit of national progress and unity.
Amupitan also pledged to prioritise logistics efficiency, adopt technological safeguards such as cloning of sensitive materials, and intensify voter education ahead of future elections.
Before the screening began, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved a motion to suspend Order 12 to allow “strangers” into the chamber, a motion seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South). The nominee was admitted into the Red Chamber at 12:50 p.m.
Senate President Akpabio informed members that Amupitan had been duly cleared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), all of which confirmed he has no criminal record.
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